Documenting the COVID-19 pandemic in SA - photos from the frontline!

Shayne Robinson - Documenting the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa - photos from the frontline!

Photo Cred: Shayne Robinson

An award-winning Photojournalist has been given a licence to capture this moment in our history and will be on the frontline with the Essential Service South Africans every single day until lockdown ends.

Johannesburg, South Africa (2 April 2020) – Shayne Robinson – a multi-award winning Photojournalist & YouTube Content Creator – is out on the frontline every day documenting the COVID-19 outbreak in South Africa.

The world is facing an unprecedented time with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virus has to date infected over 936 000 people globally, resulting in more than 47 000 deaths, leaving more than two billion people around the world in some form of lockdown or self-isolation.

The lockdown in South Africa is part of efforts to curb the rapid spread of the Coronavirus in the country. President Ramaphosa announced the stay-at-home plan after a meeting held on the 22 March 2020 with the National Coronavirus Command Council.

“This is a decisive measure to save millions of South Africans from infection and save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. While this measure will have a considerable impact on people’s livelihoods, on the life of our society and on our economy, the human cost of delaying this action would be far, far greater,” said the President.

During the nationwide lockdown, all South Africans will have to stay at home except for Essential services like nurses, doctors and other health workers, social workers, frontline government staff, volunteers and NGOs who are leading the fight against the disease.

Documenting the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa - photos from the frontline! — Photo Cred: Shayne Robinson

There are also 18 000 security personnel, drawn from the police, defence force, metro police and other entities, that are responsible for ensuring our safety during this time.

“And then there is each of you, the 58 million South African citizens and residents who are standing together as one in confronting this national health emergency. Among us are the men and women who rise at dawn every day, and labour through the night to keep this country going.

I speak of the farmworker who is helping to keep us supplied with food. I speak of the technician in the power station working shift after shift to keep the lights on. I speak of the caregiver in the old-age home, the childcare home and the hospice, who comes in every day to tend to the most vulnerable of our citizens.
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To the taxi driver, the refuse collector, the supermarket cashier, the hospital cleaner, the petrol attendant and all those essential services workers, you are our unsung heroes, and we salute you,” said the President.

Robinson has been given a licence to capture this moment in our history and will be on the frontline with these Essential Service South Africans every single day until lockdown ends.

Check out some of the photos here but make sure to visit his Facebook Page to see the updates: